Out of the Crisis.Org

[Louis Altazan]

I recently came across an article in a trade publication. The author sadly laments, “Much of the population would rather go to the dentist than take their car into a shop for work. Many think that as an industry we score just above a collection of attorneys when it comes to image.” With this I will sadly agree. I also feel much of the reason lies precisely in the methods suggested in the remainder of the article.

A headline reads, “A set salary, without incentives, will not reward the best manager and will encourage apathy, where we settle for the results we get.” I totally disagree and have repeatedly seen the exact opposite in my observations. This seems so typical of the information I feel has plagued the auto repair trade for as long as I can remember.

A bribe is not required to get most salespeople to sell services they see as fair and in the client’s best interest. Services that are truly in the best interest of the client are far easier to sell than snake oil and wallet flushes, with or without a sales goal, based on gross profit margin and client satisfaction.

Incentives are nothing more than conditional promises. In my opinion, a veiled attempt to coerce performance with a bribe and withhold it when conditions are not met. Set a goal, offer a bribe to reach it and walk away. This implies that people are lazy and by offering a reward they can be made to sell harder. The truth is a bit more difficult and the reason for true management.

People as a rule are very energetic, when doing what pleases them. Just watch an amateur tennis, golf or soft-ball player. What is often seen as laziness, may be a reluctance to push products and services of questionable worth. Being asked to act in a manner seen as unacceptable is hardly motivating.

Rather than concocting endless varieties of incentives, why not remove the obstacles that really block performance? Make the job enjoyable so that people find joy in their work. Client satisfaction is a function of giving people value on the things they need. It is easily measured over time, by the number of people buying the service at the price asked. Selling value and helping people is motivating.

A business offering true value sells services that do not come back to clients that do. Continued growth, profit, client and staff retention is the aim and more to the point, the result.

_________________
Louis Altazan
Owner/Manager AGCO Automotive Corporation
Baton Rouge, LA